Sunday, December 15, 2013

This video is pretty amazing. It shows a Land Rover racer crossing the entire Saudi Arabian Empty Quarter in just over 10 hours in the all-new Range Rover Sport. The Empty Quarters is the largest span of sand desert on earth.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

OMG. This think is just insane!!! Mercedes Benz is absolutely out of control with the debut of the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision GT Concept, which they just debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Mercedes-Benz is clearly on fire with design, and I just wonder what took them so long!?! This is just totally awesome!!! Wow!!!!!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Check out this retro-rocket by Icon Thriftmaster. In is based upon a Chevy 3100, which has been completely reengineered and modernized with four ABS equipped disc brakes, and LED lights. It is powered by a Mannuson supercharged 5.3-liter small black V-8, which produces 435 horsepower. I love the matte paint on this retro beauty. You can see much more byvisiting ICON's microsite for the TR Series.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

I remember when I first saw photos of the 1968 Ferrari S Modula Concept car, thinking it was the coolest looking car I had ever seen, and in many ways, I still love its amazing design. The Modula was so far ahead of its time, it is amazing. I think Ferrari, should bring this car to life today, and update it. In particular, I think if they ditched the pop-up headlights, and while moving them to the corners, it would look incredible!

If you think about it, it would almost appear if the Lamborghini Countach which was launched in the early 1970s, was based upon the design of the 1968 Ferrari S Modulu. Particularly in the sense that the Ferrari has a long, swooping, continuous curve, which today is the trademark of modern Lamborghini.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Mercedes-Benz just introduced a super-detailed video that showcases the design process it incorporated into developing the all-new 2014 Mercedes Benz S-Class.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has historically been the model that incorporates highly innovative features that over time make it into less expensive models, and often times end up on other manufactures models. An example of this would be Mercedes introducing ABS brakes in 1978. Mercedes did not invent ABS, but along with Bosch, developed the modern ABS system and was the first to make it standard on the S-Class in 1979 in the 280SE (W 116). In 1984 Mercedes-Benz ABS standard in all their vehicles.

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the first car ever made that does not use any traditional incandescent light bulbs. Instead, the whole care uses LED lighting. As a matter of fact, the 2014 S-Class has close to 500 LED lights, of which 300 are located inside the passenger compartment, which can change in seven colors, with four dimming zones that have 5 dimming levels. The headlights each have 56 LED lights, and the taillights have 25 each!!!

Until the Lexus LS came along in 1989 the Mercedes S-Class was the King Of The Hill, but ever since, Mercedes and Lexus have been going head to head, with Lexus winning–in my opinion.

Lexus is so well aware of this, for the first time they went past the typical six year complete model overhaul, and kept the current Lexus LS model for a 7th year. Why? I suspect it is because Lexus was concerned with the all-new 2014 Mercedes S-Class and knew Mercedes was aiming over Lexus' head, and it appears Mercedes pulled out all the stops, and leapfrogged the Lexus LS, by a long-shot.

Speaking of long-shots, the new standard S-Class is 206.5 inches long, which also contributes to is largesse. Contrast this with the standard 2013 Lexus LS which is 200 inches long. Contrast this with the longer wheelbase 2013 Lexus LS L which is 205 inches long.

The new S-Class Mercedes-Benz now smokes the Lexus LS in performance, luxury and technological prowess. It will be fascinating to see how Lexus responds in 2015. Until then, it looks like Mercedes just took back the crown, and it appears to have plans not to give it back.

There are of course, other competitors to the Mercedes S-Class, in particular, the Tesla Model S, which is probably more innovative since it is all electric, but it lacks the 2014 S-Class Luxury features. While there are other competitors worth mentioning like the BMW 7 Series, and perhaps the Audi S8, I think it is safe to say the 2014 S-Class is now the one to beat. The all new S550 S-Class does 0-60MPH in a respectable 4.8 seconds, which is significantly faster than its outgoing predecessor which did it in 5.4 seconds. Also, the all-new 2014 AWD AMG version of the S-Class rockets from 0-60 MPH in only 3.8 seconds!!!

I remember watching 60 Minutes many years ago, and they referred to the Mercedes Benz S-Class as being the car that men own, who tell other men what to do.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

This 1995 Range Rover Ad has special meaning for me. Seeing the photos and video of the all new 2014 Range Rover Sport made me think about this vintage 1995 Range Rover Ad. Back in 1995, I actually cut this ad from a magazine because It thought it looked so cool. I think I cut it from Architectural Digest, but I can't remember for certain.

Seeing the recent launch of the Range Rover Sport made be think I should scan this ad and share it on Jake's Car World.

Back in the late 1980s I owned a couple of Jeep Wagoneer's which I thought were so cool looking. They were not very well made, and they were not precise instruments, but what American car was in the late 1980s? I remember thinking is was fascinating how the Range Rover looked like a modernized version of the Jeep Wagoneer. The photo below shows a 1962 Jeep Wagoneer, and it is a fact that all the original Land Rover's were based upon Jeep design, as you can see in the Land Rover History Documentary located at the end of this story.

1962 Jeep Wagoneer

I have been a designer for the past 30 years and I have always wondered why Land Rover didn't take the Range Rover to the next level and make it much more aerodynamic while making its geometry really sporty, and give it a lower profile and stance. Well, last week Land Rover introduced the all-new Range Rover Sport, and they finally achieved my dream, as you can see from the image of the all-new 2014 Range Rover Sport below.

The photo above is of the all-new 2014 Range Rover Sport, and the photo below is of a 1972 Jeep Wagoneer. In my design mind, the 2014 Range Rover Sport pictured above looks like a thoroughly modernized version of the 1972 Jeep Wagoneer pictured below.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

I though I would share this photo with you of an ultra-rare Porsche prototype named the Delorean. Oops!?! Just kidding again!!! Actually, this Porsche design prototype named the Porsche Tapiro was designed by Guigaro.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

James Bond actor, Daniel Craig just debuted the all-new 2014 Range Rover Sport in New York City

The 2014 Range Rover looks outrageously cool, and I am shocked to find that all the outer sheet metal is different. In other words, it is pretty much a different car from the standard Range Rover. The 2014 Range Rover also seems to be a little more compact and smaller.

Daniel Craig is pictured driving the 2014 Range Rover Sport in New York City

2014 Range Rover v. 2014 Range Rover Sport

The photo below shows just how much smaller, sportier and more compact and overall different looking the Range Rover Sport is compared to its larger standard Range Rover sibling. The Range Rover Sport is way lower, more squat and has a much more aggressive stance, coupled with fatter tires.

Land Rover also debuted their all-new Range Rover Sport logo today which is pictured below.

It's Time To Tighten Up!!!

The new Range Rover Sport is lookin' Hella' Tight, so you know what time it is!?! It's time to Tighten UP!!! What!?!? Hit the play button on the Tighten Up video below, turn up your volume and let the music play in the background while you look at the photos above of the all-new 2014 Range Rover Sport, and Tighten Up!!!!

Urban Outlaw is an amazing 30 minute documentary about a Rock n' Roller dude who lives in L.A. and restores and customizes vintage Porsche 911's. The Sound and Film Quality is unbelievable, and the dude absolutely fascinating...

• The First Automobile Was Electric. Electric cars were prevalent in the late 1800's and early 1900's. However, combustion took over from electric vehicles for the following reasons: greater range of gasoline cars, quicker refueling times and the vehicles were cheaper to buy. Back then they tried to solve the refueling time issue by having a quick battery swap over program which ultimately was not successful.

• Tesla uses battery packs made of thousands of small cells, as small as consumer batteries. Every such small cell has it's own metal casing. Cells are cylindrical, so there's lots of space between them. Because of all this Tesla's battery packs are easier to cool, and it's much easier to prevent runaway heating that happened with Boeing batteries. Daimler and Toyota buy batteries from Tesla.• Range anxiety was a primary factor against for 71% of people when considering the purchase of an electric vehicle. Without an infrastructure to support refuel/recharge that anxiety will persist.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Some things in this world are unequivocal, and Sophia Loren posing with the Mercedes-Benz SL Gullwing in 1955 is certainly one of them. Mama Mia!!! Sophia Loren is probably the most exotically beautiful woman that has ever lived, and in the late 1950 she owned and drove a Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing which she posed with quite a bit, as you can see in the following photos.

Sophia Loren Posing For The Camera

On The Hood Of Her Mercedes 300SL Gullwing

They say that people look like their dogs, and the same is likely true about cars. In other words, people choose cars that reflect their personality and sense of aesthetics. I don't know of any other female who so accurately chose a car that reflected their aesthetic and personality so much as Sophia Loren and her Gullwing 300SL. Why? When the Gullwing doors are in the up and open position, they look like Sophia's exotic eyebrows. Both Sophia and the Gullwing have stunning curves, and both are completely timeless, exotic and highly chic.

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Welcome To Jake's Car World

My name is Jake Ehrlich and I am the editor and publisher of Jake's Car World.

I have an interesting story to share with you. I became fascinated with cars when I was little kid playing with my Hot Wheels. When I was in the third grade, I started drawing Speed Racer's Mach 5 with a pencil and paper. Every time, I would daw the Mach 5, I would try to improve the lines.

When I was fourteen, I fell in love with the 1969 Chevy Camaro, and at the same time, I would go to school everyday, and in class I would sit and draw cars all day long.

When I was 17 I wanted to become an automotive designer, and I was talented at designing cars, but I just could not imaging going to work for an American car company as a designer. This was in the mid 1980s, when American cars were at their all-time worst. This was the generation of cars cars that had evolved from the Gremlin, to the Pinto, into the Chrysler Reliant-K.

I remember thinking at the time, that the only option would have been to learn German, and move to Germany, and I did not want to do so. So I went into clothing design. Years later, I started designing computer hardware, and software, which I still do with my company BulletTrain.

I also blog like crazy, so it made sense to begin Jake's Car World, which I sincerely hope you enjoy.